Circulated 5/25/22
                    2022 ARRL FIELD DAY – JUNE 25-26
                         PUBLIC RELATIONS KIT
                FOR ARRL PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS
                 & PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATORS
     Thank you for supporting media attention for 2022 ARRL Field Day. We hope you find the enclosed resources 
     are helpful as you prepare to promote Field Day participation in your area through local media, news, and 
     social media outlets.
     Contents
     Earn Bonus Points for Your Field Day Public Relations Strategies
     Publicity Tip Sheet
     Field Day PR – Before, During, and After
     ARRL Field Day Public Relations Calendar: June 2022 and Social Media Tips
     2022 ARRL Field Day Media Advisory (press release template)
     2022 ARRL Field Day Media Advisory for TV and Radio Stations
     ARRL Field Day Talking Points for PIOs and PICs
     What is ARRL Field Day (backgrounder)
     Social Media and ARRL Field Day
     Sample Field Day Invitation Letter
     Sample Proclamation
     ARRL and RAC Section check-off sheet; a great visual
     2022 ARRL Field Day logo (full page); additional versions available at www.arrl.org/FieldDay
             Additional ARRL Field Day resources are available at www.arrl.org/FieldDay
                Photo/Model Release Form (use for minors under 18 years of age)
              http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Model%20Release%20/ModelReleaseForm.pdf
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    EARN BONUS POINTS FOR YOUR FIELD DAY PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES
    ARRL Field Day is amateur radio’s open house. It is a tremendous opportunity to show the public who we are 
    and what assets we bring to our communities. That helps keep amateur radio visible, which is important to the 
    long‐term sustainability of our service and hobby. By the time your radio club is setting up the antennas, your 
    PR and outreach strategy should have been in operation for quite some time. Experience has taught us that 
    promoting your Field Day effort is a task that should be assigned to a specific person, just as you would have a
    person responsible for the generator or captain of a specific station. If your club has a Public Information 
    Officer (PIO), this task is right up his or her alley. If you don’t have one, find a club member who is articulate, 
    outgoing and comfortable talking with visitors to be your club’s spokesperson. Depending on the size of your 
    Field Day effort, it may be helpful to have additional public relations volunteers. In addition to the media, you 
    should be reaching out to schools, churches, and other civic groups, such as scouts, 4‐H, etc. and inviting 
    them to come visit, learn, and discover. ARRL has given clubs a way to promote Field Day to your community 
    and earn your club up to 600 additional points for your club’s score.
    1) Set up in a public location: Many clubs like to set up away from high‐traffic areas, like a hilltop or a 
    campground, but by setting up in a parking lot of a shopping mall or community center, you can increase 
    amateur radio’s visibility to your community. Bonus: 100 points. 
    2) Spread the word: Contact your local newspapers and TV and radio stations about your plans for Field Day. 
    Your club’s Public Information Officer (PIO) should have a list of media contacts in your area already 
    developed. Having the media outlets (such as TV, radio and newspapers) cover your event helps make the 
    public aware of your Field Day site and keeps amateur radio in the public eye. A sample press release, sample 
    media advisory, and tips for press release success are included. Bonus: 100 points.
    3) Don’t forget social media! Keep your club’s Facebook page active with updates, photos and information 
    on how your Field Day is going. Use Twitter to tweet your experiences to your followers and include the hash 
    tag #ARRLFD to keep your club visible on the national level. And be sure to build your social media network 
    with local media outlets, reporters, bloggers, and other community VIPs. Bonus: 100 points.
    4) Create and staff a welcome table at your Field Day site: A welcome table complete with an engaging 
    greeter and brochures about amateur radio helps visitors to your site feel more involved. Provide tour guides to
    help steer your visitors through your site and explain what your visitors will see and hear. Include a signup 
    sheet for visitors to provide contact information, so your club can follow up with those who want to learn more 
    about amateur radio. Bonus: 100 points.
    5) Invite your local elected officials to visit: Making our state, county and local elected officials aware of 
    how amateur radio can benefit your community is a critical outreach goal. Extend the invitation to all your 
    elected governmental representatives; if you invite them and they show up, everybody benefits! Bonus: 100 
    points.
    6) Build relationships with served agencies: Most ham radio clubs involved with public service are looking 
    for ways to build or enhance their relationships with their local served agencies. Instead of going to someone’s 
    office and giving a lecture about what amateur radio is, invite them to come see and experience your group in 
    action. Bonus: 100 points.
    Your efforts to promote Field Day could have a much greater effect than merely boosting your score by 600 
    points. If done properly, you can raise awareness about amateur radio within your community, which could 
    have an impact on relationships with your local first responders, open minds of city council members on issues 
    of antenna restrictions, and a host of other benefits. Do your best to showcase amateur radio; it can make a 
    world of difference!
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     PUBLICITY     TIP     SHEET 
    Ideas to help you promote Amateur Radio Week and ARRL Field Day…
    1. Copy and paste the enclosed news release/media advisory onto your club letterhead. Be sure to fill in your 
    club's name and contact in the appropriate blanks. Or feel free to lift any text from this release and add it to 
    one you've already created. 
    2. Email the news release/media advisory to editors at your local paper, radio and television stations. Follow up
    with a telephone call within a few days to see that it was received and offer any additional information. 
    Remember to check if the person is on deadline or if he or she has time to talk.
    3. Field Day may be a training exercise that the media will enjoy, but make sure to talk about all aspects of 
    what amateur radio is: public service, a hands-on way to learn science, and a great time. 
    4. Avoid amateur radio jargon in any press materials and in conversations or interviews with media 
    representatives. 
    5. Designate someone at your Field Day site who will be able to greet media, talk about amateur radio and 
    explain what is happening at the event. Be sure the person you pick is someone who can answer questions in 
    a clear, concise and professional manner. 
    6. Utilize all that social media has to offer. If your club doesn’t have a Facebook page or Twitter account, start 
    one now. Find a club member to be your social media content developer. “Friend” or “follow” as many local 
    media representatives as you can. Provide regular content to your social media pages, so your club doesn’t 
    appear to be stagnant. Distribute your press release via your social media accounts and invite local journalists 
    via social media to visit your Field Day site.
    7. Take a lot of good action photos of your Field Day event. If you are interested in submitting your pictures for 
    possible use in QST or elsewhere, be sure to use a good camera and the high-resolution setting (and for under
    age 18 youth photos for QST, obtain a Youth Release for each youth pictured). Avoid taking shots of people 
    just standing around or backshots of people on a radio. Get faces. Get smiles! Get pictures that highlight the 
    activities taking place at your event. Post your story and photos to the Field Day Soapbox at 
    www.arrl.org/soapbox.
    8. Post colorful, easy‐to‐read flyers in prominent places: libraries, supermarkets, schools, etc. 
    9. Invite your mayor or other local official to your Field Day site. Get photos! 
    10. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper and invite readers to visit your Field Day site and learn more 
    about amateur radio. 
    11. Print and share handouts for non-hams to learn more at your Field Day site; www.arrl.org/brochures-and-
    exhibit-materials.
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     FIELD DAY PR   ‐   BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER  
    Before: 
    1) Create a list of media contacts in your area. Include phone numbers and email addresses. Connect with 
    them also on Facebook and Twitter and other social media accounts.
    2) Bring up the need for PR at your club’s Field Day planning meetings. Begin recruiting volunteers for the info 
    booth at your site.
    3) Send out initial press releases and invitations to officials no later than May 15; earlier if possible. Begin 
    sending out regular updates via your social media accounts.
    4) Create a schedule of who will staff your information table and list what their duties are.
    5) Make follow‐up phone calls within a week of sending out your press releases. 
    6) If you don’t receive any replies to invitations by June 1, make a second inquiry.
    During: 
    1) Make one more call to the media if time allows.
    2) Keep your social media stream active with photos, posts and invitations for the public to come visit.
    3) Greet media representative(s). Get their business card and give then your contact information.
    4) Have printed fact sheets or backgrounders available for media to take with them.
    5) Don't interrupt or interject during media interaction unless absolutely necessary.
    6) Be sure media representative has accurate spellings of names, titles and call signs.
    After: 
    1) Thank media representative(s) if appropriate.
    2) Be sure to get ample copies of coverage.
    3) Share coverage with participants, club members and the ARRL. Post on your club’s Facebook page.
    4) Look for "secondary exposure" opportunities.
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